Like a ribbon of thought there stretches a path
Through hill and dale, valley veiled in brume
Over mountain and mist, through mine and moor,
And dark corners of earth even goblins abhor;
Piercing endless tracts of capacious gloom
Mere men do not know the aim
Of the perpetual road, to the land of Nowhere—
Under sunless skies of clouds and rain
The sun lost the war a long time ago
And anon retreated in haste
Forsaking flora and fauna to wither and fade
And leaving in their stead thorn and nightshade,
To injur and poison in the barren waste
Where wind howls like the wild banshee—
Tearing at the earth in the land of Nowhere
Without respite, rest or any mercy
Like crooked finger approaches the path
At the rusted, iron-wrought gate
Of monstrous make and malignant mien—
That overlooks all, and by all is seen
As an omen of surely-doomed fate,
For those daring to journey thus far—
To challenge the occult in the land of Nowhere
And step through, lowering lock and bar
Beyond the gate, there stands a castle
Of ramparts and buttresses, sharp and cold
Where dwells in its dark, in its depths so dim
The rogue Phantom of the blackest sin
Whom should mortal eyes ever behold
Will exact a most devastating price—
For to chance the castle in the land of Nowhere
Is to gamble eternity on a toss of the dice
In a crumbling tower where no light will shine
There hang portaits of still-maddened faces
Their sorrows supsended in soundless shrieks,
By a brush depicted their ends foul and bleak
As they failed to depart from this cursèd place
Before It struck and life was drained
In the castle, in the tower of lone Nowhere—
Where eternal damnation is hung and framed
But time and again walks the demented soul
Who, curious, takes to the ribbon of thought
Over mountain and mist, through mine and moor
And comes to stand at the castle door;
In a crumbling tower, fair soul is caught
Near portraits, by the Nightmare's hand
Who reaps the benefits of the wayward spirit
And lets screams ring unanswered in Nowhere-land
Author notes
So...is the path, is Nowhere, just a figment of our imagination? Is the land of Nowhere contained only in nightmares, and the dank recesses of our heads? Or is Nowhere the place that houses all nightmares? Or is it just the place where the truly insane wander, created by them and for them? Just some thoughts.
A contest entry
- Dark, Morbid, Insane, Disturbing Options and Nothing But by xxRainbowDawnxx.
300 points, ended February 16, 2007, 48 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - 14 to 18 ages enter your best prewrite Judged by RedwingSpirit.
700 points, ended January 7, 2008, 36 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 15 of 15
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Excellent write Thank you very much for entering into my contest I wish you the best of luck
congrats on the silver
Redwing Spirit
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Thanks for the applause and luck.
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Although there is an element of darkness in this poem I do not feel that it is in anyway a very dark, disturbing poem. More probing and pondering which I really liked. Well done and many thanks for entering my contest.
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Though it is not in your face darkness like you have said... Most darkness, or most real darkness, isn't always in your face, it's subtle. This is like a depressive darkness, gloomy... Places the goblins will not even go near... Such a ghostly and haunting image, dead of people, noise, comfort, conflict... Just pure silence. Kind of creepy within itself, isn't it?
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Wow! A incredible write for not knowing where the pen was taking you. A truely amazing work and question to ponder. Where is no=where? A question I would like the answer to.
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wow...that was freakin awesome...Good going! I really enjoyed reading this. It brings to mind a scene from a movie i saw the other night.
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I am glad you did! I hope it was a horror (or somewhat creepy) movie; for this sake of this poem (and for the fact that I love horror movies) I hope it was.
~Elena
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breathless,
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This is a brilliant write . . . the music is wonderful as well as the imagery and the dark content it portrays . . . I felt like I was lost in a damp, almost lightless forest, trying to find my way out.
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Wow, this is really long, but it kept me glued. I loved the fantasy in this. Awesome piece and keep up the good work. Hope you do well in the contest as well.
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I am glad I managed to keep you interested, regardless of the length. I was a bit worried about that, for my pen took off and would not let me make it any shorter.
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Poe
this reads like Poe.
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"but time and again walks the demented soul
who, curious, takes to the ribbon of thought
over mountain and mist, through mine and moor" excellent flow and rhythm. I truelly enjoyed the write
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I am glad you did, and thanks for the applause.
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